James Cameron

From Robo Culture Wiki

Born August 16, 1954 James Cameron has come to be one of the most well known film directors, writers and producers. Although Cameron’s most successful film may be the critically acclaimed Titanic (1997) he has worked chiefly within the Action/Sci-Fy genre. This has arguably resulted in Cameron’s immense influence on the genre making him an Action/Sci-Fy guru of sorts.

Cameron’s films have dealt with issues of terrorism (True Lies 1994) and War (This Time Its War 1985) but have focused more intensely on the extinction of the human race and the fight that for survival between the human and the non-human (The Terminator Series 1984-2003, The Aliens Series 1986-1997). For a more detailed look at James Cameron's work see James Cameron's Filmography

[edit] Cameron: The Auteur of Action Science-Fiction

Rely mostly on the Action Science-Fiction genre Cameron has been able to develop thematic themes throughout the entire collection of his films. This allows the audience to gaze into Cameron’s vision of society as well as his own personality. Andrew Sarris (1973) classifies this ability as an important premise of auteur theory. In order to classify as an auteur a director must have the ability to “exhibit certain recurring characteristics of style which serve as his signature (p. 50).” However, the ultimate premise of auteur theory deals more with meaning than with vision and personality. Along with the ability to perpetuate a specific feel, look, and vision within film, interior meaning is arguably more significant when dealing with auteur theory.

Without conducting an in depth examination of Cameron’s films it would be difficult to distinguish what messages lie within his films. A possible concept to explore could be the inability of the human species to coexist with equally or more intelligent species. Within Cameron’s films one consistently sees the human race at war with cyborg’s and aliens and greatly overmatched. Ironically in the case of Terminator II when a Terminator saves the human race he still cannot stay and exist among them. Only a detailed examination of James Cameron’s work as an auteur could reveal the interior messages of his films. For more information on Cameron check out Chris Heard’s book Dreaming Aloud: The Life and Films of James Cameron.